All the Unicorns, One Location

Main menu

Monthly Archives: June 2014

After a few years of working with the Data Center and Cloud community at Cisco, it is time for a new challenge–the very best kind of challenge, taking what we’ve built and engaging new communities!

Here’s my attempt to answer some FAQs:

Q: What do you do exactly?A: I serve the community that uses, makes, and sells Cisco technology. I market to and with them. I am a professional unicorn herder and bacon consumer. I build content and relationships as part of an integrated marketing strategy. For the last few years, I’ve focused primarily on the Data Center and Cloud worlds.

In my new role, I’m taking this practice to other communities within the Cisco portfolio. Look for a couple of guest hosts on Engineers Unplugged and an expansion of that platform. I’m always hunting for new ways to promote the Cisco Champions and connect them with the latest and greatest tech info and experts. I will continue to meet and greet on Twitter and find ways to gather the tribe IRL too.

Q: How do you get a job like that?A: I saw a business need, made a case for it, and made it up as I went along. Here’s what it looks like in my head . . .

My comms strategy pre-Twitter.

Lloyd Dobler: I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.

Q: So you Tweet for a living?A: Yes. That’s what I do. Alas, “short-form copy writing” is but one aspect of my job. Like the rest of you, much of my time is spent building reports, pitching ideas, organizing and promoting content, and planning for the next thing. Think iceberg–the sparkly 20% you see conceals the 80% that looks a lot like work.

Also, every single one of my mentors that contributed to this new role I met because of Twitter.

Q: Is your job as awesome as it looks.A: Yes, yes it is, and that’s 100% because of the people with whom I get to work everyday. Being paid to get smarter and geek out is the best. So thank you to everyone who has ever raised their hand to be part of the community, recorded a video or a podcast, shared your knowledge, or cheered your colleagues on.

Special thanks to the renegades in and around my management chain at Cisco who have agreed to take a chance on us!